WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador
to Iraq is holding talks with Iraqi nationalist
insurgents and the Sunnis they represent, Time magazine reported on Sunday.

Time quoted U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad as saying "We will intensify
the engagement, interaction and discussion with them." He said reaching
out to Sunnis regarding their "legitimate concerns" makes sense
because of rifts between the nationalist and al Qaeda camps in the insurgency.

Asked about the report on CNN's "Late Edition,"
National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said U.S. officials are "not
going to have contact with people who have blood on their hands." But
he said the officials have had contacts with Sunni groups for some time.

Hadley said the ambassador was trying to convince Sunnis
that democratization will succeed and that "the Sunnis have a place
in a democratic Iraq and they need to step forward now, to take that place
by participating in the elections."

Hadley said Khalilzad is also authorized to have "very
low level" talks with Iranian officials in Baghdad "for the very
limited purpose of making clear to the Iranians that we are seeing Iranian
equipment and technology showing up, in Iraq, in the hands of people that
are attacking the coalition, and that this is unacceptable." He is
not dealing with the full range of U.S.-Iranian issues, Hadley said.

Get Alex Jones
and Paul Joseph Watson's books, ALL Alex's documentary films, films by other
authors, audio interviews and special reports. Sign up at Prison Planet.tv
- CLICK HERE.